meaganc

Hello to everyone from FREEZING cold Canada

I posted a little while back about my husband and I trying to plan our first trip to Europe (age 28) and had some amazing responses from people. Thank you to everyone who was so kind to share some ideas of how to narrow down the trip!

I am hoping for some feedback of what I am thinking so far. We are hoping to travel this July (2015) and right now are looking at July 10 for departure.

I am thinking the following:

-Fly into Paris and out of Rome.
-Paris - 3 nights
-Fly (or overnight train??) to Venice - 2 nights
-Train to Florence
-Florence - 3 nights (or is two enough?) - we were told about an awesome day trip to Tuscany where you get to ride Vespas for a wine tour - quite expensive but apparently amazing!
-Train to Rome
-Rome - 3 nights
-Train or rent car? to Amalfi Coast area - we were looking at staying in Positano and found a nice place there.
-Positano - 4 nights - we were thinking day trips to possibly: Cinque Terra, Capri, Pompeii-we really want Positano to be towards the end of the trip to relax, swim, beach and do some fun day trips as above.
-Train or car back to Rome to fly home.

Any thoughts on this itinerary? Based on the places we are staying, are there any day trips we should be investigating? We are really into the food, wine and scenery.

Also we only have a budget of 10,000 for everything (although we are estimating it will be looking more like 11,000). Flights are costing us about $2400 for the two of us to get to Europe and home.

We had thought about the option of a Contiki trip (Simply Italy) but we would have to cut out Paris then because it will be too expensive. The other concern with Contiki is staying in really poor accommodations and spending half the trip on a bus. We don't want to be the couple who spends the whole trip travelling and no time actually soaking in the culture and scenery. We just don't want to miss anything because we are planning to start a family when we return and probably won't make it back anytime soon - it's a trip of a lifetime (for now) for us!

Thank you so much for all your help!

Meagan

Blueeyedcod

You REALLY need to look at a map of Italy if you think you can day trip from the Amalfi Coast to Cinque Terre.

Don't do overnight train Paris-Venice. It's a cheap flight on Easyjet - I flew last October and paid about 50 euro.

You want to soak up culture and scenery and yet you're dashing from place to place - and I call 2-3 nights dashing. Stick to 2-3 destinations within Italy - say Venice, Rome and Amalfi Coast and spend four nights in each place. Florence/Tuscany is not my choice but you could leave out somewhere else and do your Vespa trip. Make sure your travel insurance covers motorbikes as this is an extra on most policies and if you have an accident you won't be covered.

No trains to Positano - it's water transport or bus only unless you get a private transfer.

July is a busy time. Better get busy and make those bookings as many places - on a budget - will already be sold out.

Blueeyedcod

And day tripping from Positano to Pompeii is complicated. You are best to see Pompeii on your way to Positano. If you take a private transfer (about 120 euro from Napoli Centrale station) they can wait a few hours while you visit Pompeii and then take you on to Positano - at an additional cost of course - probably bumping up the price to around 150 euro.
If this is unaffordable, then take the train from Naples to Pompeii and store your luggage at the station (they have facilities there) and then continue on to Positano using the dreaded SITA bus - expect this to be standing room only in July.

isabel

Definitely much less expensive to do it on your own, and much more rewarding as well.

How much time do you have in total - looks like around two weeks? What you are proposing is pretty fast paced but doable (except that you can't get to the Cinque Terre from the Amalfi Coast - they are totally different parts of Italy and you certainly don't have time to do both if you only have two weeks).

If budget is a concern keep in mind that every time you change locations - especially long distances - it really increases the costs. So fewer base locations will be less expensive overall even for the same amount of time.

Figure at least 100€ a night for accommodations (or much more depending on your needs). Food can be anywhere from 40€ per person a day and way up. You can look up price of train tickets and flights on line so you should be able to put together a budget that should be pretty accurate.

You don't need a car for any of the places you are considering and especially on the Amalfi Coast in July it would terrible. Positano is gorgeous and many people prefer to stay there but a day trip from there to Pompei is going to be harder than if you based in Sorrento.

But overall your itinerary looks pretty good. Most people will tell you to slow down and it is true that 3 nights really means only 2 days of sightseeing (you won't be doing much relaxing on this itinerary) - you loose at least a half day every time you move. But you would get a taste of some wonderful places and just figure you'll be going back. Cutting one location would probably be a good idea if you can decide which one you could live without.

meaganc

Thank you very much for your response Blueeyedcod. We have a maximum of three weeks we can take off work so if you think the number of nights I listed seems low we could definitely look at making it longer in those places you recommended. We would really love to do Paris if we can swing it for a few nights at the beginning of our trip - we hear it is Bastille Day?? on July 15 which might be neat to experience.

Friends of ours went to Positano in the summer and they mentioned that they could have done the Cinque Terre. I guess I was mistaken. Do you recommend another area other than Positano or is this a must see area?

Thanks again

dlejhunt

July 14th in Paris is great! The fireworks (feu d'artifice) in Paris are remarkable, and the military parade is fun, too (go early to both to get a spot). So, I vote for spending July 14th in Paris.

We were in Lyon/Lake Como last year and like to spend at least 6 days in each spot we visit, but that is our preference; I would guess that 4 days in a town would be perfectly fine. I second the suggestion of flying to Venice as our Lyon-Milan-Como travel day by train and car was long and tiring; I wish we had flown from Lyon to Milan, instead.

Also, since you are flying out of Rome, I wonder why you don't put your visit to that city at the end of your trip rather than in the middle? It just seems to make more sense to me to settle in the city you'll be departing from.

Sounds like a great trip. And you know what they say...Paris is always a good idea. Bon voyage.

Sassafrass

From Tuscany (Florence), train straight to the AC. Put all your time in Rome at the end so you are where you need to be for the flight home.

I would not do so many places - extremely rushed, especially in July when it is so hot. However, if you have your heart set on all these stops, I would do it this way.

Fly into Venice.

Venice: 3 nights.
Allow for jet lag in an easy place. Train to Florence - mid afternoon, allows extra morning in Venice and Florence in time for dinner and evening walk

Florence: 3 nights.
1 day for Florence, 1 day for day trip. Train to Rome

Rome: 4 nights.
Train to AC or Sorrento or train/bus/ferry to Positano. Note that beaches in this area are rocky or pebbles, not long stretches of sand like Florida or East Coast of US or Caribbean. Sorrento sits atop a cliff. Positano literally hangs down the sides of cliffs. It will be hot and crowded. I do not mind, but some people do. I really hate crowded, busses, but you can take ferries on the AC.

AC or Sorento: 4 nights.
Train to Naples. Fly to Paris

Paris: if you have time left.

If flights do not work from Naples to Paris, then do AC before Rome and fly to Paris from Rome.

If Rome is your last base stop in Italy, either before flying home or before flying to Paris, visit Pompeii on the way from the AC to Rome. Take the train, stash your luggage at the station, go on to Rome.

There is one big mistake in your thinking. You said, "We just don't want to miss anything. . . . ."

The riches of Italy are incomprehensible. No matter how much time you have, you will miss most of it. There is no help for it, and the more you move around, the more you will miss.

One little example: Venice is church after church, each a masterpiece and each with masterpiece paintings. It is surrounded by beautiful, colorful islands. Nearby are small cities (Padua, Vicenza, Verona) and towns also filled with masterpieces of architecture like Paladio's buildings and Scrovegni Chapel. There are museums and palazzos in Venice filled with masterpiece paintings. There are glorious bridges and canals to be explored, and cafes to sit at. There are towers to ascend and boats to ride. Then, gelato.

Consider Italy to be a sensory experience, not fast food, but food to be savored. If you want to soak up culture and scenery, do not worry about what you miss. Instead, give yourself a little extra time to sit and absorb the sights, sounds, smells of each place you do visit.

elizzie4000

meagan, first, I agree with the others. Visit Rome at the end of the trip. No need to go back and forth.

Remember when you arrive in Paris you will have traveled for many hours, will deal with time change and jet lag. You said you can spend more nights because you have the time. I would spend 5 ni in Paris. Then move on to Italy.

I, personally, don't like to do a lot of moving around. Especially in the heat. It will be hot. And just sightseeing during the day in the heat does wear you out. You might want to consider fewer moves of location as already suggested. In Paris I would look for a hotel with a/c which many have nowadays. But, you have to check.

meaganc

Hi everyone thanks so much for the advice so far! Sorry I didn't realize I didn't give an amount of time we can be away for - we have a max of 3 weeks to be away.

I never thought of doing Rome last because I assumed you had to head to the AC from Rome - good idea everyone!

I did realize after that July 14 is a big day in Paris - that would be really fun to join in the festivities!

Here is what I am thinking:

July 10 fly to Paris (overnight flight so we can sleep on the plane and will arrive at 1:30 pm Paris time - hopefully would avoid jet leg!!)
Paris for 4 nights in hotel 11, 12, 13, 14, depart 15

Fly from Paris to Venice on July 15 for 2 nights - hotel July 15, 16 depart July 17 --*** is two nights in Venice enough??

train from Venice to Florence for 3 nights - hotel July 17, 18, 19 depart July 20

Head to Almafi Coast on July 20 for 4 or 5 nights (any thoughts on length needed here??) hotel - July 20, 21, 22, 23 possibly 24 depart either July 24 or 25

Rome - either the 24 or 25 and 3 nights then fly home. Any thoughts if this is starting to sound "cleaner" haha

Also I am not really sure how to get to the AC from Florence?? Is it a train then a ferry?

meaganc

Also someone mentioned Sorrento over Positano? Any thoughts if there is somewhere better then Positano? We just wanted to do some fun day trips and relax and swim and eat in the scenery there

Sassafrass

Don't count on sleeping on the plane. Most people can't.
If you can get an earlier flight, I would so I could get to Paris earlier. That would give you a little walking time in the afternoon before dinner and after - a nice way to meet Paris.
Personally, I would still fly into Venice and home from Paris because Venice is a great place to unwind from jet lag.
Give Venice 3 nights.

KCicconetti1128

We are doing a similar trip Sept 1. Fly into PAris 3 nights with a 6 am arrival time- fly to Florence 3 night train to Chiusi rent car drive to Panicale in Umbria 4 nights drive to Orvieto 1 night then train to Naples and driver pick us up to see Pompeii on the way to Positano for 5 nights. Then Rome night before a 7 am flight out. Never enough time anywhere but we were in Rome, Montepulciano and Venice last summer for 3, 3 and 2 days respectively. I am already planning our next trip! FYI I started booking hotels/b and b's a few months ago.

KCicconetti1128

I know 3 nights Paris is not nearly enough however we were there 20 years go and would like to relax and see the smaller sights for our short time.

meaganc

Sassafrass - thanks for you comment re: sleeping on the plane - I have never been on such a long plane trip. Flights go up a fair amount when you fly out earlier and the reason we hoped to fly out late Friday night was so my husband could still work on the Friday. Technically we could see about flying out the next day instead. I will check it out.

Does anyone know if Paris will break the bank? I hear it is very expensive or is that mainly the hotel costs?

KCicconetti1128 - your trip sounds lovely - are you nervous about renting a car? My husband is worried that driving will be insane. We live in the country so the biggest traffic for us is sitting behind an oversized tractor!! - I would love to check out your itinerary (with the details) if you have it handy. May give me some ideas. I'm not familiar with some of the places you listed so I am going to check them out

meaganc

Sassafrass - I loved this: "Consider Italy to be a sensory experience, not fast food, but food to be savored. If you want to soak up culture and scenery, do not worry about what you miss. Instead, give yourself a little extra time to sit and absorb the sights, sounds, smells of each place you do visit." - just beautiful - you sound like someone I would like to travel with!

KCicconetti1128

Meaganc - yes the driving last summer was not the easiest out of Rome but once we got to Southern Tuscany it wasn't too bad. Road signs were the hardest part to follow. so I learned a few things. My email is [email protected] I can send you more information but believe me I am no expert. I just read alot and drive my husband crazy with my planning. We had our teens with us last summer so this trip will be a little more relaxed.

msteacher

Yes, your revised itinerary is cleaner. You will have a wonderful trip. Buon viaggio!

meaganc

Thanks msteacher!

Sassafrass

Thank you, Meaganc,
No, stick with your plan of leaving late Friday, especially if it works out for your DH. Your trip is going to be awesome.

indyhiker

Paris will not break the bank unless you let it. There are hotels for nearly every budget. When you're ready to book your hotel, post a separate question here on Fodors with your budget and you will likely get some good recommendations.